


The Third Side of the Coin

by ShunKickShunKers



Category: Blindspot (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-06
Updated: 2017-06-07
Packaged: 2018-09-22 12:05:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9606848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShunKickShunKers/pseuds/ShunKickShunKers
Summary: In some ways, Jane was the better side of Remi. What they didn't know was that Remi was the better side of Alice. Now that Shepherd is planning Jane's death, Roman is ready to wake up the monster.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Just a little thought that crossed my mind...Roman said Remi taught him how to be a sociopath (and Shepherd completed it), but Remi didn't sound much like a sociopath to me in the flashbacks. So here is what happens when I get bored at work.
> 
> A bit angsty, but since there are references to the orphanage, it can't be helped.
> 
> Read and enjoy!

**The Third Side of the Coin**

 

 

Jane is tied to the chair, her head hanging low and her body leaning forward, drawn down by its weight. Roman thinks she looks pathetic and god knows pathetic is the very last thing his sister ever was. Shepherd paces around the room like a lioness around her prey. She obviously thinks that the bounds will keep the unconscious woman, well, _bounded_.

Roman wants to snort.

Ropes may hold Jane back for a while -they would have delayed Remi for a bit. But Shepherd, for all she prides herself on always being a step ahead, misses one little detail. It's not her fault though; she has never really met his sister. Not Remi -she's seen Remi grown, she raised her and Remi considers her a mentor. But before Remi, there was his _first_ sister, the one who grew with him in the orphanage. Many times, Roman had thought of warning her. Come to think of it, he should have warned her. But Remi was always against it and she was the one in control after all. So he let it be.

He always knew burying his head in the sand would eventually bite him in the ass.

"She awakes," Shepherd says, angry and gleeful at once. "Hello, Jane."

Her daughter's betrayal has hit her hard, and she's been yearning for revenge for weeks. By the way things are going, Roman figures someone's suffering will end up tonight. He isn't sure whose it will be, though.

He lets Shepherd spill her anger, braze about the trap they've set, and keeps his head down. Shepherd leaves temporarily and Jane tries to convince him to help her once again. Shepherd is right on one thing; this isn't his sister. This is what she could have been if not for the orphanage; but not who she has become. And right now, Roman wants her back. He's waited long enough.

 _Say the words, Ian,_ a child's voice whispers in his ear.

He approaches her in her back, watches as she fidgets like a trapped animal.

"I believed in you. I fought for you. And all I had in return...lies and betrayal." He puts both hands on the back of her chair, leans close to her ear and speaks clearly: "Good-bye Jane." And then he adds: " _Wake up Alice."_

* * *

In the first memory Roman has of Alice -untainted memory that is -she's running. She's still a little girl, perhaps six or seven, wearing a bright red dress decorated with flowers -daisies. And she's running. It's not a fearful run; he thinks she laughs as her legs carry her away, very childish and pure. He clung to that memory fiercely for twenty years, if only to remember that there was a time where his sister was capable of innocent love.

It changes after their parents' death, of course; but the real shift occurs when the other children give him his scar. He sees her in the background as he is pinned to the floor. The helplessness, the anger and the shame on her face will always remain carved in his memories. He knows what she's thinking; she's the eldest, she should have protected him. But even he knows there are limits to what she can do. She reassures him, gets the coin back, but something changes in her eyes. She still looks at him with the same affection and protectiveness, but when others come around...she grows distant. Her mouth hardens and her face becomes a mask of cold indifference.

"How did you do it?" he asks her in awe when the boys part on her way like Moses walking though the Red Sea. Rumor has it that she nearly beat up a girl to death in the dormitory. No-one has approached her ever since. She merely shrugs.

"You need to learn to hide the things you love, or you'll never get out of here alive." She watches him with affection. "Strike before they do, and strike hard. Make them fear you. They won't bother you after."

When their handlers order to kill their rabbits, she's the first to snap its neck. Some of the children cry in the aftermath, he included, but Alice? Alice giggles. She giggles quietly, with a frightening smile on her face. Later on, Roman knows that was the moment she decided to become a monster.

_Wake_

They are rescued by American soldiers and those soldiers are horrified by what they find. The orphanage is well-structured for a military academy. The training grounds bear reminders of their accomplishments and their failures. Ten to fifteen bodies are found buried around the compound. Half of them are there because of the deadly training. The other half, Alice sent them there.

Their handlers have encouraged her taste for blood, pushed her to become an accomplished warrior. She is not physically as strong as them, but she compensates with a sharp mind, tactical skills and a complete disregard for others' lives (except his). She nearly stabs one of the soldiers in the neck when they burst into their dormitory without warning. The soldier lives because she slips on a sheet lying on the floor, loses balance, and her makeshift knife misses its target by inches. They are evacuated, brought to a military base, evaluated and the other children are sent elsewhere. He and Alice are held back though. The psychiatrist calls them too 'special' and unpredictable and deems they will never manage to settle in a normal environment. That's when one of the soldiers -ironically, the one Alice went after -steps up and signs for their adoption. They end up in a house in the suburbs of a small town in the United States, prepared to begin a new life.

Alice becomes 'Remi' because of him. The sad truth is, just like the other children, he came to fear her as much as he loves her and though he tries to hide it, she feels it. And she might have lost her ability to care for others, he is still the one person she will always love. The one person she will never, ever harm.

"If Remi isn't enough to protect you," she says seriously, curled in the bed by his side, "Call for me. Say the words, Ian; and I will come for you, okay?"

They spend the rest of the night in each others' arms. He doesn't sleep, even long after Alice falls into deep slumber. The mind is a powerful thing and his sister was always the strongest person he's ever known. When she'll wake up tomorrow, she'll be different, just as she promised. She won't be 'Alice' anymore because he's too weak to accept her as she is. She'll be a new sister, still loving, more approachable, adapted to his needs.

He promises himself that one day, he'll be strong enough to call her back. He'll wake up, think 'it is time', and whisper her name. And that day...

_Up_

At first, Roman doesn't fear 'Jane Doe'. She's a new version of his sister and the memories that slowly emerge are Remi's. It's not until Shepherd claims that 'something feels off' that he begins to wonder. All these years, Remi's hold on 'Alice' was iron-clad. She had to keep her reigned in, if only to control her bloodthirsty impulses during the battlefield in her military days. Roman isn't worried it will fade after the mind wipe. But his last conversation with Remi, after she warns him to cut ties with Kat, bothers him.

" _Is this about the plan, or about you?" he asks angrily. He has done everything they have asked of him. He thinks he has earned his freedom by now. But Remi stares at him, her cold hazel eyes plant into his._

" _I want to make sure_ she _doesn't resurface."_

_The words knock him off cold._

" _I thought you had her under control." He speaks quietly, in case others are lingering and eavesdropping. Alice is the one secret Shepherd doesn't know -and will never learn if he has any say in it. Remi snorts._

" _I never really contained her, Roman. You did. As long as you were around, she keeps quiet. There's a chance all my memories return and if you're not there when it happens, she might break through." She's nervous, it's obvious in the tightness of her shoulders and the tension in her jaw. "The moment you'll pronounce her name, I'm gone."_

_Roman feels cold sweat pearl on his forehead. He wishes he could say she's wrong; but he remembers that Alice created 'Remi' for him. If she returned and he had vanished, how will she react? Too many possibilities are laid out, including one where she'd come after him. He doesn't think she will hurt him, but he can't say the same about Kat. So he pushes his lover far away from his mind and prays she will forgive him._

He gets his confirmation that Jane isn't quite Remi after they steal the chip necessary for Phase 2. She sits on his bed and she contemplates the puzzle box as he speaks of Remi. She looks horrified when he tells her she would have completed the mission and not risked their arrest to save him.

"I hope she never comes back," she says. And when she holds him later, she whispers: "I love you, Ian."

Alice was a monster and Remi contained her, but Remi became so cold. In retrospect, Roman remembers his true sister always loved him unconditionally and always let him know. He closes his eyes, breathes in Jane's scent and thinks that maybe, deep inside, he doesn't want Remi back either.

_Alice_

He realizes Jane really isn't Alice or Remi when he finds Borden's message in the dropbox and it's killing him. A part of him has genuinely wished that 'Jane' could be the best of Alice and Remi combined. He was obviously very wrong. His sister would have never betrayed him; yet Jane did.

When Shepherd comes up with a plan to destroy the FBI team Jane is working with, Roman nearly laughs. The scheme is grotesque and petty and oh _-so_ unworthy of any of Remi's masterpieces. He thinks he should have left with Kat after all and not allowed Remi to play with his fears of Alice's return. Alice, come to think of it, would have probably demanded to meet Kat. She would have probably interrogated and threatened her. And then, claiming to use of her sisterly rights, embarrass him to death like she had done with Shepherd during their first meeting.

She would have let him go instead of tightening the leash around his neck.

Roman remembers his promise to himself, all those years ago. That once he would be strong enough, he would free her again. Shepherd wants Jane dead, but Jane isn't Alice. It's time to wake up the monster, he decides. He has waited long enough. Tonight, he will get his sister back.

_Wake up Alice_

The reaction is immediate. Jane's body slumps forwards like a puppet whose strings had been cut at once. Roman steps back, his heart pounding. Did it work? His sister's body is very still, barely breathing. If not for her mouth parting slightly when she inhales and exhales, he'd believe her dead.

Shepherd returns and lights the projector. She doesn't even give her foster daughter a second glance. Roman's attention is fully on her. He watches as she rises her head, stares at the images on the wall; follows with rapt attention the last moments of the FBI agents. She blanches at the explosion, shouts 'no!' when the image cut.

His heart breaks. It didn't work, and now, he's lost her forever.

Shepherd is smug and reeling in her pain. He's trying hard to swallow his bitterness he nearly misses her next words:

"You fucking idiot! That's not how you set bombs inside an old building! Now half of them are still alive!"

What follows is an eerie silence. Shepherd looks like she's been slapped. Roman stares at the back of her head, heart pounding even louder.

"This farce has lasted long enough. Untie me _now,_ Ian," she snarls, and Roman feels hopeful again. Remi never called him 'Ian'. Only Alice –and occasionally Jane –did. He makes a move towards her, but Shepherd pulls out the gun and aims at him.

"I've lost one child already," she says, eyes narrowed and tone hurt. "Am I going to lose both?"

Roman hesitates briefly. He doesn't want to put the tied woman in the line of fire, and Shepherd can be a little trigger-happy when upset.

"And that's our mother?" Jane _-Alice, he's sure of it now-_ snorts. "I thought she'd know better than to use stereotype villain sentences."

Shepherd is truly perplexed now. Roman takes advantage of her indecision to act and undoes the ropes. He's sure she could get away on her own, but his intervention will spare her a dislocated thumb.

"This is Alice," he introduces his sister with some apprehension. Their foster mother has pointed a weapon at him. Alice had _killed_ a girl in the orphanage because she insulted him. "She's neither Remi nor Jane."

"We've never properly been introduced," Alice says sarcastically, rubbing her wrists to soothe the red markings left by the rope. "I'm the original. And I have very strong objections on the way you build up this little charade. Explosives inside a building? How _unimaginative_! You should have bombed the exits, trapping them inside. I'm sure you have some poisonous gas somewhere. Or pipes containing gas. A gum and a timer would have done the trick with much more efficiency."

As she rambles on a more effective killing blow, Shepherd's eyes grow rounder and rounder. Remi had been an excellent strategist, but even she had not the cunning and the sadistic side Alice had developed in the orphanage. Roman has forgotten how disturbing it could sound.

"And what's the point of cutting the feed? If you want to complete the cycle or revenge, hide cameras outside, far enough they won't be impacted by the blow. Let your victim witness the building crumble, the few agents trying to rescue their colleagues, and then cut the feed manually, so they can wonder and beg for you to turn it back on and see what happens next. That's when you kill them most without actually touching them. All torture isn't physical, you know. Psychology is so much more efficient and way cleaner."

Alice cracks her neck, stretches her arms over her head and cracks her shoulders. Roman watches, fascinated. Shepherd watches, horrified. The tattooed woman walks across the room, towards the table he had been sitting on. She's seen a knife lying on it. She turns away from her foster mother, a sign she trusts him to watch her back. So when Shepherd raises her gun again and aims at her, he doesn't hesitate.

Fifteen minutes later, they walk out together. They head to the car, jump in and shut the door. Roman's hands are shaking slightly, his skin tainted with small dots of red. Alice whistles cheerfully as she sits behind the wheel. Her hands are slightly red as well, although she wiped them on a tissue on the way out.

"It's so nice to be up front again. Remi was such a control-freak," she complains. A quick glance at him makes her look a bit guilty. "Will you be alright?"

Roman laughs bitterly. His thoughts swirl madly, he can't think straight.

"You just..." he starts, pauses, shakes his head. "You're just as wild as I remember."

"Beats crazy," Alice shots back, but she's grinning. "Though we're about to start anew from scratches, so we must be."

"You really think it'll be alright?" Roman can't help but question. "Your friends," the word tastes bitter on his tongue. "At the FBI, won't they look for you?"

"The FBI must think I'm dead and I doubt Shepherd will come after us after this little discussion."

"You humiliated her," he reminds her. "She will seek revenge, sometime later...but I suppose that's what you are aiming at?"

Alice nods seriously.

"I showed her I had no intention of obeying her anymore, even though I wouldn't hinder her plans. Now that she's seen what I am ready to do –and that you are ready to follow, she will focus on her main objective for the time being instead of chasing us. If she does decides to retaliate…I'll handle it."

Strike first and strike hard. This line of thought is the exact reason why the innocent little girl grew to be the most feared grooming operative in the orphanage. He has forgotten how uncomfortable it used to make him feel.

"So that's why you had to cut her index? So she would back off for a while?"

"That was a practical move, Ian," Alice nuances. "She can't pull a trigger on you -or anyone, for the matter- anymore, unless she's ambidextrous. Which, unless my memory is faulty, she isn't. Also, I only cut down to the middle phalanx; she can still use the rest of her finger."

Roman snorts. He feels a little sick and overwhelmed. But it's nothing compared to relief of having his older sister, his protector, back.

"And Jane thought I was the sociopath," he mumbles ironically.

"Technically, I'm a psychopath with sadistic tendencies. Sociopaths still have a conscience." She gives him a look of sympathy. "That's why I keep you around. You're my moral compass."

"Then there is no hope left for the world," he retorts dryly. "A sociopath, the moral guidance of a psychopath. I feel there's a bad joke in the making."

"Tell me all about it once you figured it out," she says and laughs loudly. She turns the engine on and launches her vehicle on the road, in the opposite direction of New York.

The night is cool and the roads deserted. Roman doesn't begrudge her for lowering the window and watching the starry sky. He doesn't think of the FBI that might chase them first thing in the morning when Weller has regained his senses. He doesn't think of Shepherd who will definitively come after them sometime. He just watches his sister smile and feels content.


	2. Chapter 2

 

**The Third Side of the Coin**

**2\. Patterson**

Patterson is in the hospital for a check up when she sees Jane being wheeled into emergency care. At first, she doesn't react, nearly not recognizing her friend in the bloody battered body wearing tattered clothes medics are shouting over. But the tattoo on her neck and arms are too obvious to be mistaken and before she realizes what she's doing, her feet are hurrying towards the commotion.

"Jane?" she calls forcefully. "Jane!"

A nurse prevents her from going any further. Jane and the medical crew disappear behind batting doors.

"Miss, do you know her?"

Patterson doesn't take her eyes off the exit the injured woman went through.

"She's my friend. What happened to her?"

"She was found on a crime scene, the one lucky survivor among eight bodies," the nurse replies with a hint of sympathy. "The police investigating the case will soon be there, you should-"

"No," she interrupts sharply. "Call the FBI."

"The FBI?"

Patterson finally faces the nurse, who is looking at her with confusion. The blonde doesn't waste time on explanations and is already dialing Weller's number.

"She's a consultant on an FBI case. I'll call the Deputy Director. If you'll excuse me."

Kurt and the others need to be told right away.

**T3SOTC**

In the thirty-nine days and eight hours Jane Doe has been declared MIA, nothing much has evolved in the tattoo cases. A few have been solved, but with nothing left from Shepherd's previous headquarters and no trail to follow up, the team is growing restless. Nas's position is precarious at best, Kurt has to throw some weight to keep her on the investigation. Tasha is furious and fuming that Sandstorm nearly killed her best friend. Reade is destabilized with personal issues and Patterson...Patterson is having a hard time dealing with Borden's double betrayal.

_Patterson knows when a situation is dire. She rarely goes on the field -the guns and running around is better left to professionals – but even she can identify a Very Bad Situation when it hits her in the face. Or more accurately, in the stomach._

_Her mind rewinds the last few hours as she quietly regains consciousness. The operation for taking down Sandstorm was a set up and a disaster. Her boyfriend -definitively ex-boyfriend now -is a spy. And she is currently lying on a bed with her side arching. The pain is dulled by the drugs pumped into her system and she would love to never move again. But one glance at the ceiling, the smell of dust mixed with antiseptic hints that staying here is not a good idea either._

_Water is running in the background. Patterson winces as she pulls the IV out of her arm and slowly stands. Ex-boyfriend is bent over a sink, thoroughly washing his hands. So he shoots her, then her heals her? It doesn't matter in the end, she thinks. He's a mole, he nearly killed her friends and family. Doctor Robert Borden has_ a lot _to answer for._

_She's halted in her progression by the feel of a cold blade against her neck._

" _Good afternoon, agent Patterson."_

I'm so screwed _, she thinks._

_Shepherd is everything Patterson expects her to be. An iron-clad woman who has definitively seen war, the stance of a predator and a worrisome glint in her eyes. She does not expect the use of a knife to keep her obedient. Although the blade makes Patterson obey, she understands belatedly why a gun is not in her arsenal: Shepherd's right hand is tightly bandaged and her index finger seems...missing. When Shepherd notices her stare, her cold annoyance turns into something the blonde is not sure she wants to interpret._

" _I wonder," the woman says slowly, "if she truly won't give a care is one of her former friends came to vanish."_

_Patterson deduces she must be talking about Jane, but she won't speak until her assumptions are confirmed. Shepherd is already dismissing her, which is, according to Borden's sudden nervousness, not a good sign._

" _What do you mean?" the former psychiatrist asks cautiously._

" _We have some time before the FBI gets back on tracks," Shepherd retorts. "I want to use that time to send an invitation." her eyes rest on Patterson and the blonde can't help but shiver under its cold intensity. "Make sure she is reported missing. Return to the FBI with the news. That woman might be watching. If she gives no sign in a week, kill her."_

_Borden looks concerned._

" _But what if Jane doesn't answer, will you give up on going after her?"_

_Shepherd's expression tightens and for a brief moment, Patterson thinks she sees a flash of fear across her eyes._

" _That woman is more interested in starting anew with her brother than going against me. Roman hates the FBI and won't help them even if she urges him to." she pauses, suddenly pensive, and glances towards Patterson. "Was Jane always_ Jane _with you, or was the transformation a sudden one?"_

_Patterson has no idea what the woman is talking about so remains silent._

" _Obviously yes, so the change must be recent. It means Roman must have a hand in it," Shepherd concludes from her silence and looks more irritated by the conclusion she draws. "Lock her up somewhere she won't cause trouble and make sure she is reported missing fast."_

_Borden hesitantly nods. Another man shows up -taller and stronger -to take her away, and Patterson knows she is trapped for the time being. She can only pray her friends will find her, and find her fast._

She was held hostage for a week and by the time her executioner had come to put an end to her miserable stay, Borden had allowed her an escape route. She can't believe how close she had cut it, but will be eternally grateful that her ex-boyfriend had decided to spare her after all. She's still pissed he managed to get away though.

She also wonders how Jane ended up _here._

Earlier, the nurse in charge had returned with good news: Jane looked bad, but most of the blood on her clothes wasn't hers and she only has minor bruises and cuts. No matter how much Patterson threatens her, she won't say more until her emergency contact -aka Kurt -shows up. When her coworker finally arrives with Nas in tow, she's torn between feeling amazed at the nurse's resilience and annoyed at being denied information. Kurt shows his badge and only then are they allowed to learn more.

Jane is fine, no internal injuries, just a mild concussion and traces of drugs in her system, but nothing alarming. The bruises on her arms and legs are more the consequence of a well-fought battle than an actual beating. The police officer who was given the task to relay the case on the FBI explains that preliminary reports indicates she is the sole identifiable survivor; all the other cadavers had been brutally murdered if not beaten to death.

Patterson doesn't like the suspicion in his tone. He sounds like he suspects Jane to have killed all those people. A small part of her brain reminds her that the tattooed woman's skills would have definitively allowed her to.

"We're taking over," Kurt assures the man in his _'I'm a competent leader, leave it to me'_ voice and he leaves without further complaint.

They are led to Jane's room soon after. The nurse tells them that with the light sedative she was given, Jane might still be asleep, but when they enter, her eyes are wide open and staring at the white ceiling.

"Jane," Kurt says and steps forward. The only acknowledgment he receives is a flicker of the eye. "You've been missing for over a month. Where have you been?"

When she doesn't reply, Nas asks in turn:

"Were you held by Sandstorm? Those people they found dead with you, were they operatives?"

Still no reaction. Patterson watches her friend lying in that bed, notices the blankness in her eyes, so unlike the Jane she knows. And then she remembers a remark Shepherd made early on:

_'That woman is more interested in starting anew with her brother than going against me.'_

"Where is Roman, Jane?" she asks quietly. "Shepherd claims you cut her finder with a pocket knife to prevent her from shooting you two."

Kurt and Nas stare at her in disbelief. She has told them about Shepherd's injury but so far no-one has truly believed Jane had _actually_ cut her finger. A beat, two beats, and Jane's focus slowly shifts on her.

"It was a dagger," she whispers and her voice is rough and tired. "And Roman is gone."

After these words, she closes her eyes and rolls on her side, turning her back to them. Any conversation is officially over.

**T3SOTC**

Jane walls up into silence after that. She is released the next day due to her lack of injuries and, to Pellington's insistence and in spite of Kurt's protests, is kept in a cell under tight surveillance. Time goes on and she doesn't talk. Kurt blames himself for her lack of communication and visits her religiously twice a day. Nas calls in an old friend Dr Sun, a psychiatrist specialized in PTSD, to evaluate her but nothing much can be deduced when the subject doesn't react to any probing. Tasha goes to see her once and never bothers again. Reade tries a couple times, even assures her he doesn't blame her for nearly losing his leg, to no avail.

Patterson doesn't visit. She has headaches and migraines and feels uneasy facing Jane. Shepherd's anger and glimpse of fear keeps playing in the mind. The injured hand and Jane's cold ' _it was a dagger_ ' keeps dancing in her mind. Not to mention, the month long disappearance and the suspicious conditions under which she had returned nags her. Something is wrong with her friend, deeply wrong, and she can't figure out what.

Kurt is the one who encourages her to go down in the cells for a visit. He's tried everything he could think of and is hoping that Jane will react if she sees Patterson. The blondee doesn't think it will change much, but she can't resist Kurt's pleading for too long. So after two weeks she was locked down, Patterson descends to visit her friend.

Jane looks...normal. She's sitting on her bed, back against the wall, legs crossed, eyes closed. Her skin has regained color, her bruises have faded and if not for the pale blue scrubs, she would seem like having fallen asleep in a seated position rather than being imprisoned in one of Division Zero's cells. Patterson stands on the other side of the glass, barely five meters away, but she can't bring herself to speak. She has thousands of questions _-why run away? Why hide? Why cut Shepherd's finger in the first place and not bring her in?_ -and her smart brain just can't conjure up a place to start.

She sighs heavily and turns to walk away -no need to linger, she has work to do -when a loud bang makes her glance back.

Jane isn't sitting on her bed anymore; she's somehow fallen on the ground and is panting hard, her limbs shaking. When their eyes cross, Patterson thinks she looks desperate.

"Patterson," Jane's voice is rough and exhausted, like she's been fighting for hours. "You need to get away from me."

They are separated by a five inch transparent wall, cameras are recording her every move twenty-four seven, yet the blonde feels like Jane could break through the barriers and get to her with no trouble. Still, she ignores Jane's warning and steps closer.

"Why?" she asks. These are the first words Jane has spoken since the hospital; they sound important.

It takes Jane a few minutes of panting before she can talk again.

"She is dangerous," Jane says. "Out of control. As long as Roman was there, she could be contained but now that he's gone," she struggles to stand up but manages to erase the distance between them two. "She wants blood. Shepherd's blood. And she doesn't care who she has to kill to reach her target." Jane stands right behind the separation. "You have to tell Kurt," she goes on, articulating with caution. "If I ever get out of this cell, under _whatever_ circumstances, you have to stop me. I won't let her hurt you, ever."

Patterson thinks she is doing a good job of stopping her voice from trembling.

"Who would hurt us Jane?"

" _Me,"_ she replies shakily. If she wasn't on the verge of tears, Patterson would already be running out to call for the others.

"You wouldn't hurt us Jane," Patterson says, trying to sound more convinced than she feels. "I know you care -"

She's interrupted by a shaky laugh. Jane's smile is heartbreaking.

"I was never real, Patterson," she whispers before her eyes roll back and her body slumps on the floor like a broken marionette.

**T3SOTC**

"So when the doctors arrived, she was back on her bed, cross legged like nothing happened?" Kurt repeats, stunned. Patterson supposes she can share his disbelief. He's gone to visit Jane ever since she got back, and she ignores him blatantly. One time is enough for her to get a reaction. She understands he might be a little jealous, even though she would gladly let him deal with an upset Jane anytime.

"She hasn't talked since," Tasha points out.

"So what now?" Read asks. "She said not to let her out or she'd hurt us."

"She wouldn't!" Patterson protests, glancing at Kurt for support. He nods in agreement but his crossed arms betray his doubts.

"Jane wouldn't hurt this team," Nas suddenly speaks. "But what about..."

She stops talking and darts out of the room without explanation. Everyone follows in a rush until she reaches the underground cells and stops in front of Jane's. Once again, the woman is in her default position, cross-legged on her bed with her back against the wall and her eyes closed. She doesn't even flinch at their sudden arrival. Nas stands behind the wall glass. Her arms are crossed, she looks slightly fearful of the answers she's expecting to get.

"You made it clear you were not Jane, so who are you?" Nas speaks loud and firm. The woman doesn't bulge. "Are you Remi?" No reaction. "Where is Jane now? Or are you someone else entirely?"

Jane remains immobile, indifferent to her surroundings. Even in a holding cell, she looks peaceful, content. It gives Patterson shivers just watching her. Nas sighs in frustration -her theory hasn't worked out -and turns away. As they leave, Patterson can't help but glance back. Jane is still sitting in the same position but something is different. Her lids are lazily opened, watching them, and when their eyes meet, the small smirk that grows on her face makes the blonde walk faster.

**T3SOFC**

It takes Patterson another two days but she finally decides to return to see their prisoner. Jane still ignores Kurt when he visits -though he only goes once before leaving now, still meditates most of the time and still refuses to speak, but last time the blonde went down there, she got results. Maybe she will have another response this time too.

But Jane's cell is empty. The agent in charge of the holding cells is unsurprised.

"Two CIA agents came to pick up Jane Doe for a transfer early this morning," he explains. "The papers were signed and approved by Deputy Director Weller."

Patterson runs to the feed room and orders a rerun of this morning's recordings. She sees two men in suit escorting her out. Jane is furious and glares at both, but the agents hold her firmly the whole way out. No-one stops them, although quite a few look startled. She zooms the camera, capture the two faces and send the pictures to her lab. Then, she calls the rest of the team.

They gather in record time, stunned at the news. It turns out Kurt did sign the transfer papers, but he did it the day a ton of administrative papers had been needed to be signed. Briana had been away and her replacement had done his best to fill her spot. He hadn't been careful enough, apparently, to put the paper on the side, and Kurt had signed it without reading it. The team decide not to linger on the potential consequences and contact the CIA. But no-one has heard of a transfer from the FBI though and the newly appointed Deputy Director Keaton swears up and down he hasn't touched Jane since she escaped the Black Site.

They fall back on studying the two faces without much conviction; facial recognition had often failed them where Sandstorm was concerned. Unexpectedly though...

"Hey wait a minute, we know that guy," Reade suddenly says, recognition on his face. Everyone stares at the screen. "The taller one on the left."

It takes a few seconds for the others to catch on.

"Wait, it can't be-" Tasha whispers in shock.

" _Cade_?" Kurt utters in turn, in complete shock. "What about the other one?"

Patterson enlarges the face until it fills the screen. The second man is younger, his face impassible but concentrated. He looks familiar somehow; there is something in the expression of his face that nags her...and it isn't until she absentmindedly glances at Jane that it hits her. They have never seen him face-to-face, he is barely recognizable without the beard or the scar, most likely covered up with makeup, but she is persuaded she is right.

"Roman," she blurts. "The other guy is Roman." when everyone stares at her, she explains: "He's alive. He and Cade infiltrated the FBI to take her away. They are working together."

Something else is missing. One last piece of the puzzle doesn't add up. Shepherd's strange inquiry ( _Was Jane always_ Jane _with you, or was the transformation a gradual one?_ ) Jane's outburst ( _I was never real'_ ) and Nas's final question ( _You made it clear you were not Jane, so who are you?)..._

Nas was on the right path, Patterson decides, she just didn't dig deep enough. There was someone before Jane, even before Remi. Her theory sound crazy, but she can't think of anything more probable. She is so deep in thoughts, she doesn't hear the cacophony around her, the restless chatter between her teammates, arguing and bickering and building up theories of their own.

"Jane was never real," she speaks, and everyone falls silent. "And neither was Remi because there is one more person we didn't take in account."

"What do you mean?" Nas demands, uneasy again.

Patterson's heart is racing. She doesn't want to think about the consequences of what she is about to say.

"Alice. We forgot Alice Kruger. It's Jane's real name. She became 'Remi' with Shepherd and 'Jane Doe' with us. What if...what if her personality was altered with the memory wipe? What if she became someone else temporarily?"

"You speak about a heck of split personality here," Reade mutters.

"They went through hell in that orphanage," Patterson goes on. "What if Alice decided to embrace her killer instincts to survive? They were monitored under Shepherd and Roman, but if Shepherd threatened Roman...He is everything to her, and she wouldn't standby if he got hurt."

"So she switched personalities in the snap of her fingers? This isn't science fiction," Tasha interrupts rather harshly, but she looks more afraid than aggressive. "We aren't talking about magic and monsters."

"No, we are talking about survival instincts," Nas counters. "And traumatized children who had nothing else but each other." She turns to Patterson and asks: "Did Jane show any sign of animosity against you, or us?"

Patterson shakes her head.

"She understated we needed to stay out of her way -Alice's way, I suppose now. She is only after Shepherd."

"Good," Nas says, more confident now. "We need to keep on searching just like we always did, and let them do their business." The whole team stares at like she's gone crazy. When Weller demands explanations, she exposes her point of view: "We would be wasting time and resources going after them. We couldn't find Cade all these months; if he combines forces with Roman and Jane, I highly doubt they would leave a trace." She has a point, Patterson is forced to concede.

"So we wait and do nothing?" Tasha snaps angrily.

Nas stares back, unapologetically.

"Jane and we share the same objective. She will most likely find Shepherd before us; we still need to keep both eyes and ears open. Just because Shepherd is out of the game doesn't mean her followers won't continue her plans in her stead."

They all stare at Kurt, looking for guidance. He is their team leader after all.

"You suggest we let them do the dirty work and then pick up the credit?"

Nas nods once.

"This is a 'first arrived first served' situation, and I won't risk another strike team if I can help it," she declares, more softly this time. "I learned my lesson the first time." She stares them down one after the other, daring them to contradict her. Kurt looks like he is about to protest, but Patterson, who has seen first-handed what Shepherd is capable of, intervenes:

"I agree," she says, surprising the audience. "Let them care for Shepherd. They are trained for it." _And it is Jane's choice._

Before they can interrogate her more on her opinion, she leaves the room. She doesn't think they would understand. The case is personal to Kurt because Sandstorm involved Taylor to get to him, but she is _very_ personally involved too. Sometimes, she thinks the team has forgotten she lost both boyfriends to Sandstorm and she hasn't really gotten over her week of captivity.

She's in the safety of her lab when she receives a text from an unknown number.

_'There is a transmitter in your tooth'_ it reads.

Patterson blinks. Reads again. The words are still there, still the same. It takes her longer than she'd ever admit to realize their meaning, but when she does, she freezes. A transmitter. In her tooth. Her hands are trembling as she stares at the screen. Cold rage suddenly bubbles deep inside her. She wants to lash out at something and very harshly. That would explain her headaches, that would explain them always being one step behind! It had had to be implanted during her captivity, when Shepherd had knocked her out once because of her smart mouthing. _That's_ why Borden let her escape. That's why he let her believed he was leaving her a chance!

She realizes she hasn't move until five minutes later, another text arrives.

_'Do you want Borden's head delivered on a spike or should we leave him to you?'_

Whoever sent the text -she wages on Jane, or rather Alice - must have been a mind-reader in a previous life.

Her fingers slowly types the answer. Perhaps later she will regret the three words, written in a blind moment of anger, but right now, she can't care less.

_Make him pay._

She gets no reply to her text, expects none. She puts her phone back in her pocket and calmly walks to the door, back to Kurt's office. They have an in now; they need to take advantage of it.


	3. Chapter 3

 

* * *

**The Third Side Of The Coin**

**3\. Alice**

Alice walks out of the shower, content after having used all the hot water available. Her three weeks in Division Zero cell hadn't been exactly comfortable, but she has been detained in worse conditions. The low frequency transmitter they had implanted in her tooth had done its job perfectly: what information they had gathered was worth every headache she had gone through. The icing on the cake had been when she learned from her two accomplices that they could also head the teams' discussions. Apparently, Shepherd had taken some notes on her methods and implanted a transmitter in one on Patterson's tooth too.

Warning the poor girl is fair game; they need Sandstorm not to know what they are up to and allowing Patterson's transmitter to function is like drawing a target on their back.

Her two partners are sitting at a table around a chess board. Ian is glaring, Cade is smirking, but his smugness is quickly replaced by a blank expression when he realizes she is wearing nothing underneath her towel.

"So, who is winning?" she asks although the answer is obvious. Ian turns around and frowns.

"You should put something on," he remarks disapprovingly, using his best 'protective brother' tone. He knows she is parading in nothing much just to get a rise out of their current ally. Said ally is carefully staring at the board and not allowing his eyes to stray. Pity, teasing him would have been fun.

"Yes sir," she replies reluctantly and picks up her usual clothes. A quick jump back in the bathroom –no need to antagonize her brother -and she returns presentable according to Ian's criteria. In the meantime, the chessboard has been folded and tucked away. Playtime is over. She sits on the free chair around the round table of their hotel room and resumes what had been discussed three weeks ago, before her voluntary imprisonment in the FBI.

While she was gathering information from the inside, Ian and Cade have been busy.

"We knew Shepherd would most likely try to contact Dann for another fake ID," Ian starts. "The guys who's selling the nuclear material she wants is in Bangkok, so she will be taking a cargo in the next few days. Dann only uses a few companies. We determined she would be leaving on the twenty ninth early in the morning."

"That leaves us a week to organize everything and we need to keep the FBI distracted all this time," Alice mumbles before turning towards Cade. "Do you still have the drive?"

"You still want to sell the data?" he asks in return, curious. "Now that they know you are after Shepherd; what makes you think they will ever agree to buy it?"

Ian glares at him, as if the simple question is an insult to his sister's intelligence. Alice bites back a smile; he has been irritated ever since she had decided to track down Cade for help, soon after Sandstorm tried to blow them up.

" _He could be a great asset," she explains patiently. "They wouldn't expect him to join us."_

" _Do I need to remind you he tried to kill you?" Ian points out, annoyed._

" _He wanted revenge on Oscar for Markos' death. Oscar is dead, so killing me now makes no sense," Alice counters with a careless shrug. "If anything, he might jump at the opportunity to get back at Shepherd. It can't hurt to find out what he's up to."_

The irritation has doubled when he found out Cade had actually been working to destroy Sandstorm from the inside. Not that it matters much anymore, they have the same goal now.

"Nas won't skip the opportunity of gathering new information on Sandstorm, especially from her ' _informant'._ She is in such awe of him, she won't miss a chance to meet him." She gives Cade an amused stare. He shrugs in return; Nas's admiration is something he can't care less about, but he isn't above taking advantage of it. "And even if she doesn't take the bait, Weller is too much of a control freak; he will want to find Shepherd before us." She smirks. "The poor guy is so predictable it's almost boring. And an extra half million can't hurt our finances. Who knows who we'll have to bribe in the next few years?"

Both men nod in agreement. There is no official leader amongst them but they naturally turn to her for the final decisions. Ian does it out of habit and Cade because he knows she is the best strategist.

"When do we start?" Ian asks eventually.

"Tomorrow we scoot the place and make our move Saturday at two. Cade will call them once our field is prepared," Alice declares. "Part one: resources. We secure the building. We fool the FBI and flee with the money. Part two: assassination. Cade and I deal with Shepherd and Parker, you deal with Borden. Part three: we regroup in Clearfield and get the hell out of dodge. Is it a satisfying deal for everyone?"

"Rough sketch, but it fits the plan," Cade agrees before adding sarcastically: "Now what is your _actual_ idea to get the FBI's money without being caught?"

Alice smirks and explains. Ten minutes later, both men are stunned.

"You are insane. Honestly, insane," Cade whispers in awe.

"Now I remember why Remi was safer." Ian mutters, but his tone isn't biting or remorseful. Alice knows he will never regret freeing her and has accepted her, so takes no offense. She thinks he might actually enjoy this erratic life.

"Gentlemen," she announces in conclusion. "Let's create some beautiful chaos."

**T3SOTC**

Sometimes, Alice wonders how their lives could have turned out, had Shepherd just been a plain Ellen Briggs. Would she have still become a soldier? Would she have married Oscar? Have kids? Would her original self never resurface again? She shivers at the thought sometimes. Becoming Remi was like falling asleep and dreaming; perhaps that's why Remi never let Roman wander too far. She had let Ian decide whether she should or not be awakened, like a dragon lying in wait, and that…could have explained why Remi has decided to become who she was. Her 'life' was not her own, her personality could vanish on Roman's whim. Everything she had built for herself, crushed in a second…Alice has to admit the thought is terrifying.

Still, it doesn't excuse her controlling behavior towards her brother; binding him, manipulating him through fear. Even breaking his relationship with that little bicker! Alice thinks Remi was a coward in the end…but it doesn't really matter anymore; _she_ is back on stage. Jane coming upfront is just a minor slip that will never repeat itself. The two personalities have merged their memories with hers and she won't forsake her own self anymore.

"What can I serve you m'am?"

The waiter of the movie theater's restaurant stops by, ready to take her order. Alice gives him a charming smile and asks for a random soda. He leaves and returns within five minutes. She pays him, watches him leave and returns to her contemplations.

If only Shepherd had left them in peace. Ian and she had been on their way to rebuild a life, a quieter one. Sure, they had to empty the twenty million dollars Ian had 'inherited' from her first death, which had probably thwart Shepherd's plans a bit, but that didn't mean she had to send a team of hired mercenary to take them out. Or rather, allow Parker to send a team of hired mercenary, she amends mentally. Ian is very insistent on that last part.

" _She didn't give the order!" he argues hotly, unwilling to admit his own mother wants him dead._

" _She allowed it," Alice nuances but doesn't insist. They have captured one of the mercenaries that had come after them for interrogation. His confession is upsetting her brother, even though she isn't quite surprised. Said mercenary has been begging her to end his suffering for the past half hour; he wouldn't lie to them now. "Perhaps you can forgive her, but I won't."_

Nas has been right to assume the dead people she was found with were Sandstorm; Parker had hired them to blow her and her brother up. They could have faked their death and vanished for good, but Alice knows how to harbor a grudge. No-one touches her baby brother and gets away with it. The thought has held her together during their time at the orphanage, it still is valid nowadays.

She's suddenly distracted by the arrival of an easily recognizable woman. Nas Kamal is approaching the movie theater with a rather large backpack on their shoulder, most likely the half-million Cade demanded during their last phone call. From her seat at the movie theater's cafeteria, Alice scans the crowd. No-one stands out, so she must have come alone. No message from Cade means he hasn't spotted anyone suspicious either. The tattooed woman shifts back on her seat and resume her previous surveillance. Nas heads inside the room 01 with her prepaid ticket, on her way to watch a very popular movie that just came out. One fifty pm. The FBI is just early enough, Alice thinks as she checks her watch. A small part of her wonders if Nas was ever into action movies, because the sequel of this particularly explosive thriller was widely expected. Perhaps they did her a favor, buying this ticket…shame she won't be able to watch it till the end.

Alice waits a few minutes before her phone rings: Ian confirms he is in position, seated just behind Nas in the room. Under his current disguise, she hasn't recognized him -though if she had, Alice would have been impressed. She checks her watch again and enjoys her drink. Advertisement lasts about ten minutes. Fifteen minutes later, she rises and heads to the room 01. The young woman checking her tickets sends her an annoyed stare for being late but lets her through. She silently makes her way through the room full of spectators, eager to see cars exploding and fake military maneuvers. The seat on Nas' right is free; no surprise there, she has bought that ticket for herself. She apologizes to the viewers as she quietly heads to her seat and drops unceremoniously next to the NSA agent.

Nas's expression is priceless when she recognizes her.

"You?" she hisses in utter disbelief. Alice grins and puts her finger over her mouth to silence her. Her other hand has already snapped around Nas's wrist, preventing her from reaching for her gun. She senses Ian moving forward to whisper:

"Keep it down please," he says, and at the same time takes advantage of the sudden darkness of the room –the main character has vanished in a tunnel –to plunge a needle in her neck and inject a sedative. Alice whispers a 'sorry' to her brother as Nas slumps and passes out. Thankfully, the bag containing the money is at her foot on her side of the chair. Alice only has to nudge it to bring it to her side. She waits a few moments before sending a text to Cade.

' _Act 2 begins now'_

She counts seventy-one seconds before the movie is promptly interrupted and the lights turned back on. A smile graces her face as a wave of protest stirs in the crowd. An employee steps in the room and shouts:

"Attention please, we need to evacuate the building! Ladies and gentlemen, please get out –"

A voice that unmistakably belongs to a young, panicked lad irrupts:

"Bomb!" he exclaims, catching people's attention at once. "There's a fucking bomb in the entrance! Get out!"

The chaos is immediate; the spectators rush in sudden hysteria, pushing their way out. Alice grabs Nas's bag and mingles with the panicked crowd rushing outside. Ian is hot on her heels and both rush behind the movie theater. Cade is sitting on his car outside the parking lot. They take off, drive a couple miles away before pulling on the side. A quick scan of the money reveals the presence of three trackers. Once the 'clean' bills are dispatched into three different backpacks, they stick the old ones on a truck on its way to Mexico and head to the nicest restaurant to celebrate. They can always send the USB drive through post mail later.

**T3SOTC**

The second part of their plan begins the next morning. Shepherd should be on the way to the cargo by night and they want to arrive before her. They are familiar with the harbor she is to embark on, one of the bonuses of being second in command. They are on schedule so far; they just need to figure out which safehouse Borden is using to hide. Shepherd and Parker's taking down will be done from afar; Alice and Cade are more than skilled enough to handle that part. Ian is the most suited for tracking the good doctor, so he will care for it.

Alice knows deep inside Borden doesn't necessarily need to die; he isn't the one who ordered her beloved Ian to be hunted down like a beast all the way through that little town in Illinois. His execution is, actually, more of a distraction for Roman and returning a favor for Remi. While Alice might not feel much sympathy for the man, her other persona is partially responsible for his demise and she feels that she owes him a quick end; not the long painful years in prison that awaits him, if he is ever caught. Patterson's revenge is just bonus, really.

Ian is standing by his car, staring at the ground. He feels uneasy; his continual shifting betrays his nervousness.

"Do we really need to do this?" he asks quietly before they have to part. Alice takes his hand and squeezes it tightly. She knows he doesn't care much about Parker or Borden, but Shepherd is a sore spot.

"You remember her more fondly than I do," she says gently. "I understand you would rather let her live but..." she pauses, pondering over what words to use to make him see her point of view. "She _attacked_ you. She _allowed_ someone to try to _kill_ you. Ideology or no, rightful business or no, that won't go unpunished. Striking first wasn't enough of a warning, or I haven't stroke hard enough, so I'll take it to the next level. Do _you_ understand why _I_ have to do this?"

She knows he remembers Rebecca and her insults at him back at the orphanage. Alice just couldn't let that little show-off badmouth her brother in front of the instructors, especially since he had been making so much progress. She had beaten her and hard; so hard Rebecca had been the first of many to be sent to the outside cemetery. Ian had been horrified at the time, but when he had killed Julian in retaliation for the scar, she knew he had understood. The murder has changed him, not necessarily for the best, but enough for him to survive till Ellen Briggs took them in.

After that...she had become the threat to his sanity, hence why Remi had been a necessity.

Even now, she thinks he might need Remi more than her. But now is not the time, and Remi has proven to be a liability anyway, so she is managing him the only way she can think of.

"There is a reason why we take care of Shepherd and you of Borden." she pauses, hesitates, then cups his cheek with her hand. "You know the kind of monster I am." He tries to interrupt her, but she raises an eyebrow in warning: she isn't normal, that is something she has accepted a long time ago and it is time he realizes the same. "But for you, I will make it fast and painless. She won't see or feel it coming."

He sighs and closes his eyes. Then, he leans into the crock of her neck. If he shreds a few tears for the upcoming loss of the only mother he will ever remember, Alice pretends she doesn't see.

**T3SOTC**

Alice casually walks down with Cade's arm wrapped around her shoulder. He leans to kiss her temple, she blushes and giggles. They are an ordinary couple taking a stroll down the harbor where, _coincidentally_ , Shepherd is boarding clandestinely on a cargo. Parker has gone with her to watch her back, always the good little soldier ensuring she isn't forgetting him.

Pathetic, Alice thinks. Efficient minions don't stick to their masters because masters trust them. Following Shepherd won't convince her to upgrade his position in the hierarchy.

They enter a building they had scooted beforehand and set their business. The cases had been brought late in the evening the previous day in anticipation to avoid arousing suspicion. Their window of opportunity is narrow; they will only have one shot so they don't waste time in taking position and observing. Silence is heavy between them; they wait, hoping the information they gathered will be correct. Ian must have dealt with Borden by now, and Shepherd still hasn't arrived. The cargo is ready but its uninvited passengers aren't there. For a brief moment, Alice thinks she missed something. They had studied and debated for hours about how things could go wrong. Would Shepherd play it safe and wait? Would she accelerate her schedule to catch them off-guard? Has she changed her mind on the procedure after seeing the twenty millions vanishing overnight? Has –her heart twinges at the thought- Ian warned her?

Her wonders are interrupted by the arrival of a SUV. Shepherd and Parker both step out. Cade and Alice have agreed beforehand she would take Shepherd and him the little rat. Triggers are pulled at once.

The two leaders of the current most dangerous terrorist organization in the US crumble like puppets without strings.

Alice can only be thankful Ian isn't here; Shepherd's body is not a pretty sight with half her brain spread on the pavement. Parker's eyes are round in shock as if his body itself hasn't realized it he was shot. Even in death, he would remain stupid, she thinks ironically. The guards are already ducking for cover behind the car. Alice sniffs in disdain and doesn't give them any more interest that she believes them worth. They dismount their rifles and flee the building as calmly as they can, reenacting the loving couple cover. Once they are back in the car, they take off back to Clearfield.

Alice is currently checking her texts when Cade interrupts the silence:

"What are your plans, after this?"

She stares at him in mild suspicion. Is he trying to strike a conversation? Or plotting their demise?

"I don't know yet. What about you?" she replies instead. She knows vaguely that Ian wants to tour around the world, take the time to visit other countries, and perhaps even return to their parents' grave to pay his respects. That's definitively what _she_ wants to do in the near future; if only to ask forgiveness for what she has decided to make of her life. Her memories of them are vague at best, but she does remember they loved her. That alone deserves her consideration.

Cade shrugs behind the wheel.

"I won't stay in the US for the next few years; that I know for sure." He mutters, eying the panels on the road. They need to take the left turn in about fifty kilometers. "Maybe leave for Brazil or Europe. I've always wanted to visit Italy."

Alice hums but doesn't reply. She's not interested in small talk. Now that their deal is close to the end, she can't care less about his next move. Her phone chimes; a test from Ian with a picture attached: Borden is lying on a dirty bed with an IV in his forearm. His face is red and blue from blood and bruises. She thinks his fingers are broken given their odd angle, but it can be the bad quality of the camera. The leg is definitively twisted backwards. The IV must be filled with morphine or some other sense-dulling product. She imagines he must have used the same drug Borden intended to kill Patterson with, had Shepherd truly ordered her execution.

_Time of death 11.43pm_ , says the text attached to the picture.

Alice nearly whistles, impressed. Drugging Borden then breaking his bones to keep him stuck in a dilemma is ingenious: if Borden pulled the IV back, he would live but go through intense pain and if he didn't pull the IV, he would slowly die of overdose. It appears that even the good doctor knows when he is beaten. The scheme must have demanded some imagination from her brother's part. He isn't much into torture for torture's sake, but since she likes Patterson he definitively has made an effort.

"Something funny?" Cade inquires, curious.

"I feel so proud of my baby brother right now," she says fondly. "He's getting the hand at psychological torture."

Cade looks like he doesn't know whether he wants to find out what she means or not. He settles for a neutral:

"I take it Borden is dead?" Alice hums happily. She is surprised when Cade suddenly chuckles in disbelief. "You guys are crazy." He mutters, but there is an odd edge in his eyes. "I can't believe I think I will actually miss you."

She gives him and intrigued stare.

"Really?" she wonders out loud. "You will miss the two homicidal creeps that convinced you to follow a stupid plan to kill your former boss?"

Cade shrugs.

"I had a grudge against her too. And it's not like I have anyone expecting me somewhere. Believe me, in spite of your homicidal creepiness, you are quite likable," he replies with a hint of a smile. Alice raises an eyebrow.

"Flattery will lead you nowhere, Cade," she retorts dryly. "If you want to stick around, just ask."

His neck cracks at the speed he looks away from the road and at her.

"You're serious?" he asks, and she thinks she can hear the _slightest_ faint hint of hope in his tone.

" _You_ are tolerable. I don't mind, but Ian has the final say."

She's genuine, mostly. Cade is a formidable asset: trained sniper, resourceful and reliable. He will pull the trigger if needed and knows to compartmentalize enough not to let past ghosts dictate his life. But the one thing that attracts her is his humanity. She likes that he tried to stop Shepherd for selfless reasons: he can't care less of the government who let his father die, but he has enough ethic to know which line not to cross, and killing thousands of people is that line. Perhaps he would help balance the morality of the siblings, should Ian allow him to stay.

Cade nods solemnly, but seems somewhat happy that Alice would be willing keep him. Alice, in turn, kinda hopes Ian won't mind.

**T3SOTC**

Ian wants to say no. It's obvious by the way his body tenses, by his eyes narrow and his fists tighten. If he were a cartoon, Alice is sure his face would be red and his ears smoking. She thinks it's cute.

"Fine," he grumbles reluctantly. "But I will kill you if you step out of the line. And after Borden, I think I can get very creative."

In spite of the threat, Cade's usual sober expression lightens up unexpectedly. Alice realizes he truly has nowhere and no one to go to.

"Works for me," he says cheerfully.

**T3SOTC**

They've rented a large hotel room in a four-star hotel with view on the landscape. Ian is still up and outside, gazing into the dark sky. Alice joins him and leans against the rail. Cade is snoring in one of the beds. She suspects their acceptance of his presence makes him feel a lot more comfortable around them. She isn't sure how she feels about it.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

She worries a little; he's been very silent through the evening. Contemplating, she'd say even. Ian gives her a tight smile and she recognizes the crease between his eyebrows; he's been pondering over something all night long, and has finally come to a decision.

"Did you really have to bring him along?" he says, a little whiny.

"Why did you agree to let him come then?" Alice retorts gently.

"Because you looked like an overeager puppy waiting for its treat," he replies honestly. "And after keeping you under Remi's influence all this time, I thought you deserved a chew toy."

Alice grins; she knew she loved her brother for a reason. Then, she sobers.

"What is it Ian? What is bothering you?"

"I need to leave a few days," he announces uncomfortably. "I'll be on time for the flight but there's something I need to do first."

He's cautious when he speaks; it means whatever this is, it's important to him. Alice considers his words, then shrugs carelessly.

"Sure, okay. Stay safe and don't take candy from strangers. We'll see you at the airport."

Ian stares at her suspiciously.

"That's it?"

"Well, we have two cars, Cade isn't bad company and we have two days ahead before departure. The FBI is too busy chasing around the leftovers of Sandstorm to think of us and you're a cautious guy, you won't get caught. So go ahead. Unless you want me or Cade to come along?"

"No!" he protests quickly. "I mean, I'll be fine on my own." He smiles. Alice knows he's thinking how Remi would have put her foot down and found a thousand reasons for him to stay behind. Good thing she isn't Remi anymore. "See you at the airport."

He leaves early the next morning with the promise he'll be there on time.

She understands what he is up to when she sees him again two days later.

He isn't alone. A cute redhead is standing by his side, suitcase in hand, large sunglasses over her face. Alice wants to laugh as she watches Ian's bright eyes when he looks at his –undoubtedly –girlfriend. So this is the little bicker Remi worked so hard on driving him away from?

She approaches Ian from behind and taps his shoulder lightly. Her brother nearly jumps out of his skin, unprepared for her arrival. The redhead is entirely unimpressed.

"So you are the infamous Remi?" she asks dryly before introductions are even made.

"It's Alice, actually," Alice replies with a smirk. "So, _you_ are the infamous Kat?"

Ian bravely tries to interfere.

"Sis, meet Kat. Kat, meet Alice," he introduces briefly, visibly ill-at-ease. Alice can _hear_ Cade cackling in her back.

"Did you check up already?" Alice asks, ignoring the girlfriend for a moment. When Ian shakes his head, she sighs. "Go ahead with Cade. It'll give us some time to get acquainted. You don't mind, do you?"

Her brother is very close to say that yes, he does mind leaving her and Kat alone and unsupervised. But his lover scoffs and assures him she'll play nice. Ian is smart enough not to mention he is afraid _Alice_ won't play nice. Still chuckling under his breath, Cade pulls him away and they slowly retreat.

**T3SOTC**

Alice is standing outside the airport, on a small platform settled for last-minute smokers. They can't hear announcements from out there, which is why she chose this spot to cut the last ties to her former life. It's six in the afternoon; plenty enough to make the call without drawing too much attention.

She dials the number and holds the phone to her ear. Her intended speaker picks up at the third ring.

" _Patterson speaking,_ " the blonde says in a business-like tone.

"Good afternoon," she says pleasantly.

There is a stunned silence on the other end of the line.

" _Jane – I mean, Alice?"_

"No it's the Easter Bunny."

The absurd answer makes Patterson burst into laughers: it's nervous, obviously, but still a laugh.

" _I'm sorry, I didn't…I didn't expect you to call after you…I mean, we found Shepherd's body on the pier with another man's…And Borden…"_ she pauses, hesitates on asking what Alice knows is torturing her mind: _"Are you…Did you really kill them both?"_

Alice raises an eyebrow, although the blonde can't see it.

"Do you really expect me to confirm such a thing over the phone?"

Patterson chuckles weakly.

" _No, I guess not. You should be careful, you know…Kurt really wants to catch you; especially after that stunt you pulled on Nas. And that bomb –it was a fake, right? You wouldn't have killed innocents just for half a million…"_

Alice isn't sure she wants to grant that question an answer. She isn't the explosive expert but Cade did mention the deflagration should be strong enough to blew all the windows of the building and injure quite a few on the way. They had planned enough time for the minesweepers to get there and work their magic, but the threat had been real. It had to, or the FBI's attention could have been directed elsewhere very fast.

"You did get the USB device, right?" she asks instead.

" _Yeah, we did. Kurt nearly flipped because Pellington chewed him out for handing half a million to terrorists. But when we got the data…How did you get it anyway?"_

"Cade was the inside man," Alice explains, because now that the case is over, there is no need to hide it anymore. "We worked together as long as our goals remained the same. Trust me, Nas wouldn't like his reasons for helping." She pauses. "Are you tracing me? Because otherwise I am hanging up now."

" _What? I_ -" Silence. Yes or no? Alice checks her watch. It takes about fifty-two seconds to Patterson to make a decent trace. Add five seconds to launch the tracking program. They are at thirty-nine. " _No, no I'm not."_

"That's nice to hear," she says. She can't detect a lie in Patterson's voice, but she won't take a chance either. "I just wanted to say don't let the past weight on your shoulders. People make mistakes. You made two in a very short amount of time, but you were stupid for the first, being fooled for the second. Don't let that obscure your vision of human nature. Decent guys exist out there; they're just playing hard to get."

Ensues a pause during which Alice wonders if the blonde is still online.

" _Did you call me to give me relationship advice?"_ Patterson sounds bemused.

"You're the kind of girl who needs to have something to hold onto outside of work," Alice says blankly. "And Jane liked you best –in a complete platonic way. Since she is definitively gone, this is my…let's say 'farewell' in her name."

" _You are the oddest criminal I've ever met, Alice Kruger."_

And her name would trigger Nas's superspy network for sure. Time to cut the conversation short.

"It was nice talking to you Patterson," Alice concludes. "Say, before never seeing you again, what is your first name anyway?"

She hears the blonde laugh over the phone and then tells her. Once Alice has her answer, she cuts the communication. When she turns around, Cade is standing there, watching her like she is a puzzle in need of deciphering.

"Are you trying to give out our position?" he inquires, arms crossed.

"Just saying goodbye to Jane's friend," she replies. She breaks the phone in two and dumps it in a garbage can nearby. "Are the gates displayed yet?"

"They showed on screen two minutes ago. Ian was getting worried." He pauses. "What did you tell Kat anyway? She looked…queasy when we returned."

_The boys are far away enough not to hear them. Alice takes a few steps closer and enters Kat's personal space. She's taller and looks down on her brother's lover. To her credit, the other woman doesn't back down. So she leans in and purrs close to her ear:_

" _If you break his heart, I will cut your body into pieces and send each limb to random addresses all over the world. I'll just keep your head and dump it into the sea." She pulls back; Kat's eyes are wide in shock. Alice's grin widens: "Are we in agreement?"_

"Friendly warning," Alice replies with a shrug. "I just pulled the protective sister act." She picks up her bag and heads back in the airport. "Come on, don't wanna miss the boarding."

They join the line at the gate. While the flight attendants prepare the passage, Cade reads a magazine on motorcycles, Kat and Ian whisper in their corner like the sweet couple they are and Alice listens to the music of an unattended ipod she stole on the way. In half an hour, they will be on board. In forty five minutes, they will be flying away from the States and to a new continent. In seven hours, they will land in a foreign country and figure out what to do then.

Alice suspects her brother and his lover won't stick with them forever, just the time to stand on their feet and wander on their own. She's fine with it, he is an adult, she's not his mother and Remi has spent enough time controlling him. Cade…perhaps he will follow her for a while. He will make a good companion when Ian will take off. And as for her…

She has let Remi and Shepherd -and to an extent Jane- dictate her life for the past seventeen years. Now she is free – _they_ are free – and she intends to take full advantage of it.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In some countries, when you buy your ticket at the movies, you also choose where you will seat. I used this here.
> 
> Till next time :)


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